


A New Day

by RainbowMech (charlion_em)



Series: Tumblr Shorts [8]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, M/M, Mentions of Past Events, Post-Kerberos Mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 13:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8847037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlion_em/pseuds/RainbowMech
Summary: Keith watches Shiro sleep after rescuing him from the Garrison.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for the prompt!! I’ve pondered that missing scene many times…
> 
> (Wew, usually my fics are dialog driven, so this was a fun challenge hehe)

A glance out the window told him it was still dark, and, judging from the position of the stars, it wouldn’t be long until the sun began to rise over the desert cliffs. Then, it would a new day.

And Keith wasn’t sure if he was ready to face it.

A new day would bring new questions. And along with those new questions would be the answers to old ones.

Keith pulled his gaze down from the window and back to the man laying on his air mattress. He knew how it must look - him kneeling on the floor next to Shiro- and was thankful the three cadets were firmly asleep in the far side of the shack.

“Shiro…” The whispered name sounded loud in the quiet desert night. Part of him expected it to all be a dream, to suddenly wake up alone in his shack like countless times before. His fingers itched to touch the scar across Shiro’s nose, to provide himself with proof the man sleeping in front of him was real. “Please.”

Keith forced himself to move from the floor and into the chair a few feet from the mattress. Whatever sedatives the garrison gave Shiro were strong; he had barely moved a muscle since he was rescued, and Shiro was normally a light and fidgety sleeper. Keith’s eyes flickered to Shiro’s metal arm, his mind conjuring horrors Shiro endured while missing, and wondered if this would be his last peaceful sleep for a long time.

Would he even remember Keith? The thought, unpleasant as it was, was preferable to living not knowing if Shiro were alive or dead. And definitely preferable to him being dead.

The soft light filtering in from the window made Shiro’s white patch of hair seem to glow in the dark room. Again, Keith could only speculate - could only assume the worst.

The three physical changes were worrisome enough. But what emotional, what psychological trauma was hiding under the sleeping facade?

He knew Shiro. He knew Shiro would put on a brave face. Just like he knew Shiro would hide any pain through redirection.

He knew because he’d seen it before.

Keith stood from his chair and tiptoed to the other side of the mattress, keeping his eyes on Shiro until he reached the small metal box against the top of the bed. He knelt down and ghosted his hand over the lid, the metal was cool against his fingertips as they lingered on the latch.

The box had remained closed since he put it there nearly ten months before, where it served as a daily reminder of what he was fighting for. Of why he was hunting for meaning in the desert, chasing any string of hope he had.

The hinges creaked as he pushed the lid open. He blinked at the contents, memories of good and bad times flooding back.

Before he could reach into it, a small rustle at his side claimed his attention.

Shiro.

Keith pivoted to the mattress, hyper focused once again on the man prone on his bed. Shiro’s eyebrows were pulled together, his head lulled to the side. His fingers on his flesh hand twitched slightly.

When Keith looked back to Shiro’s face, he found groggy eyes blinking open, searching his surroundings. Shiro tensed, as if he would bolt from the unfamiliar surroundings, until his eyes found Keith.

Keith hadn’t given any thought to if Shiro would want to see him, if his presence would help or hurt. But when Shiro visibly relaxed, Keith let any thoughts of leaving fall away.

“Hey,” he said, keeping his voice low. “It’s okay.”

Shiro’s eyes closed for a moment before he reopened them and focused on Keith. “Hey.” He gave a weak smile.

“I have some water over on the table.” Keith shifted so he could retrieve it, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

“Where?” Shiro forced himself to his elbows.

“Safe. My shack, about ten miles into the desert.” Keith patted Shiro’s hand then stood to get the water from the table.

He chanced a glance to the three cadets to see if they were still asleep and found they hadn’t moved at all. When he returned with a cup, Shiro was sitting up completely.

“Here.” He didn’t comment when Shiro used his metal hand to take the water. Keith turned back to the box, “I have a change of clothes for you.”

Shiro didn’t give any outward reaction beyond turning his head in Keith’s direction.

Keith pushed his emotions down and handed over the neatly folded pants, shirt, and vest. Shiro took them silently, giving no indication he remembered them.

“I’ll give you some privacy to change.”

Shiro nodded, his eyes more focused now.

It was the tranquilizers, Keith told himself as he stepped away to look out the window, he just needed time for his mind to unfog. But, with whatever Shiro endured the last year, Keith wasn’t about to ask if he remembered. Now was the time for asking what happened, for finding why the garrison lied… not for asking if Shiro remembered why Keith had his civilian clothes, or if he remembered the morning he left them in a hurry and never came back.

The sky outside was beginning to lighten. A new day. And it was time to face it.

The door leading outside scraped open. Keith watched from the window as Shiro walked a few paces away from the hut then stopped, staring out at the desert. Even the barren landscape must look like heaven after being gone so long.

Keith ran through hundreds of things to say to Shiro, and twice as many questions. He went out to offer Shiro comfort without planning what to say. He’d figure it out. They both would.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
